Phillip Gear, a former physician at Phoenix-based Hacienda HealthCare, surrendered his license Nov. 8 after failing to diagnose pregnancy in an incapacitated patient, reports AZ Central.
The patient, who had cognitive disabilities and relied on a feeding tube and ventilator for physical support, was raped and gave birth at Hacienda HealthCare in 2018. Mr. Gear had been her physician since 1992. He treated her for a cyst just three and a half months before she gave birth and did not report a pregnancy, according to the report.
When the Arizona Medical Board investigated Mr. Gear, they found he not only failed to diagnose the patient's pregnancy, but he also allowed students to conduct patient examinations unsupervised and was physically limited in his ability to fully examine patients and provide care. Mr. Gear, 67, opted to retire and surrender his medical license, according to the report.
The Hacienda HealthCare staff member accused of raping the patient, Nathan Sutherland, surrendered his license as a practical nurse and pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and vulnerable adult abuse, according to the report.
Read more here.
More articles on integration and physician issues:
Florida medical school loses 40% of student training sites after partnering with HCA
Minnesota physicians turn to improv to reduce burnout
Detroit Medical Center will try to save neurosurgery residency program